Every entrepreneur can benefit from having a credit card solely for business expenses. Whether you own a café or an Etsy shop, or whether you’re a freelance writer or business consultant, business credit cards can help you manage your business finances more easily.

You won’t need to sort through your personal credit card statements at the end of each year to figure out if that lunch was a business meeting or not. It’s also great for earning rewards on business expenses. Plus, it’s often useful to have access to a credit line for times when you need extra cash, but haven’t been paid yet.

How to Find the Best Business Credit Cards for Your Situation

Before you choose a credit card, make sure to do your research. You can check your credit reportfor free at AnnualCreditReport.com to look at your credit history. You get one free report a year from each credit-reporting agency (Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian), so take advantage!

One card may not be better than another — it’s all about figuring out what’s best for your individual business.

If you tend to travel a lot, a travel rewards card might be a better choice. However, if you aren’t a traveler, you may want to go with a cash back card.

There are more business credit cards than I could ever review in this article, so I picked four that I like for different reasons. These should give you a sense of the pros and cons to look out for in a business credit card:

1. Chase Ink Business Preferred

Chase Ink Business Preferred is a new business credit card that allows you to earn three points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent in purchases related to travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable, phone services, and advertising on social media sites and search engines each year.

I’m a big fan of Chase cards because of the access to Chase Ultimate Rewards. This allows you to book travel with points on the travel portal or have them transferred to a number of travel partners, many with a one-to-one ratio. You can even pay with points on Amazon.

This card has no foreign transaction fees, and employee cards have no additional costs. You can also earn 80,000 bonus points if you spend $5,000 in the first three months. The Chase Ink Business Preferred card has a $95 annual fee and a 16.99 to 21.99 percent variable APR.

2. American Express Blue Business Plus

The American Express Blue Business Plus credit card offers a zero-percent introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months. After that, it has a 12.24 to 20.24 percent variable APR.

Cardholders can take advantage of AmEx’s expense management tools, such as using ReceiptMatch to easily categorize purchases, connect to a business’s QuickBooks account, and authorize an account manager. Cardholders also have access to the OPEN Forum, an online community to share ideas and receive advice on managing a business.

Employee cards are issued at no extra cost, and all cards can earn two membership rewards points per dollar on the first $50,000 spent each year and one point per dollar after that. Points can purchase travel through the Membership Rewards travel portal, be transferred to travel partners, or be used for gift cards or on Amazon. This card has no annual fee.

3. CitiBusiness/AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard

As with credit cards, many people have a favorite airline. The CitiBusiness/AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard offers cardholders preferred boarding and one free checked bag on domestic American Airlines (AA) flights for up to four travel companions on the same reservation.

The card has no foreign transaction fees, and cardholders can earn two miles per dollar spent on select business categories such as gas stations and AA purchases, and one mile per dollar on all other purchases. Earn one Companion Certificate each year after spending $30,000 in one year. You can also earn 60,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $3,000 in the first three months of opening the account. The standard variable APR is 16.74 percent for purchases and 21.24 percent for cash advances. This card has a $95 annual fee that is waived in the first year.

4. Capital One Spark Classic

A business owner without great credit can check out the Capital One Spark Classic credit card, which has no annual fee. While it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that other cards have, it offers one percent cash back on all purchases without an upper limit. Capital One Spark Classic helps cardholders build credit by using the card responsibly. As a result, it has a higher variable APR than the other cards, at 23.99 percent for purchases, transfers, and cash advances. Employee cards don’t cost extra, and there are no foreign transaction fees. Cardholders can download the statements using QuickBooks, Quicken, or Excel formats to track business expenses easily.

The Bottom Line

Of course, these are only a few choices for business credit cards. Before you make a decision, make sure to do your research and see which card might work best for your business!

Whether you’ve missed payments on a credit card or claimed bankruptcy, having bad credit can affect many aspects of your finances. When your credit score dips below 600, you have bad credit. As a result, many lenders will be less likely to approve a loan because they’re concerned that you won’t be able to pay them back. They don’t want to be left in the red.

While some lenders will flat-out refuse to give you a loan if your credit score is low, others will agree to work with you. But this will come at a cost. Your interest rates will be high — often over 20 percent.

How to Get a Loan With Bad Credit

When you need a personal loan, either in the long term to pay off debt or in the short term to cover your bills, be wary of predatory scams. For example, payday loans are notorious for trapping people in a vicious cycle of debt in which they’re unable to shake the need for fast cash. Even so, there are ways to get a loan with bad credit:

Peer-to-peer loans

Credit unions

Friends and family

Cosigners

1. Get a Peer-to-Peer Loan

There are many companies — such as LendingClub, Prosper, Peerform, and SoFi — help borrowers connect with individual lenders. These companies tend to be transparent about their fees.

Although your credit score is part of your profile, these lenders are more likely to offer help based on your personal story than your score.

The member testimonials on many of these sites reveal that people were able to pay off much of their credit card debt at lower interest rates as a result of receiving a personal loan. Before you sign on to any of these sites, be sure to research them in depth.

2. Apply to a Credit Union

Credit unions may be more likely to give you a loan than a traditional bank because they are owned and managed by their members. Profits made from interest and investments are returned to the members rather than sent to shareholders, as they are in banks. While many credit unions require a membership fee, they may be more likely to provide loans than a typical bank. You can find a credit union near you by visiting aSmarterChoice.

3. Ask Friends or Family Members

Borrowing from friends or family may not work for everybody, but for some, it could be a great way to get a loan without the hassle of interest rates. Whether you are looking for $50 or $500, your friends or family may be able to help. You may also be more motivated to pay back a friend or a family member in a timely manner to avoid harming your relationship. The downside is that this strategy will not improve your credit score. On the other hand, it won’t damage your credit score, but if you fail to repay your loan, you may lose a friend in the process.

4. Get a Cosigner

Short of obtaining a loan from a friend or a family member, you can ask a trusted loved one to cosign a loan for you. He or she will be legally responsible for your loan, but you’ll be able to get the money you need and work to pay it off, motivated by the desire not to affect your relationship adversely.

Final Thoughts

Getting a loan with bad credit isn’t impossible, but it’s not easy, either. If none of these options pan out — and even if they do — you need to work on improving your credit. Check your credit score for free at Credit.com and get a copy of your free credit report at annualcreditreport.com. Pay your bills on time, even if you can only afford the minimum payment. You can also make small payments over the course of the month.

Meanwhile, don’t use most of your credit and don’t close your accounts. Instead, use small amounts of credit and keep your accounts open, even if you don’t use them to grow your credit history.

A credit score below 600 typically indicates bad credit, and about one third of Americans have bad credit, according to Experian. When you make late payments or are in default on a loan, you probably have bad credit. This not only affects your credit score, but also appears on your credit history. When you want a loan or new credit card, the lender will look at your credit history and score to determine whether they should trust you and how much they should loan you.

With bad credit, you’re less likely to get a loan or a credit card, but it’s not impossible.

If you are approved, your interest rate will probably be higher than someone with good credit. Bad credit doesn’t just affect your interest rate, though. You may also be charged security deposits from utility companies, and landlords have the right to refuse to rent you an apartment.

How to Get a Credit Card With Bad Credit

If you have bad credit, a credit card is one of the best ways to improve your credit score. Your first step is to get all the information you need before applying. You can get a copy of your credit report for free from AnnualCreditReport.com. Plus, Credit.com gives you free access to your credit score. With this knowledge, you can determine which strategy to pursue to rebuild your credit.

Next step? Open a bank account if you don’t already have one. Find a bank with low fees and deposit some money into an account.

Then research whether you should get a secured or unsecured card. Unsecured cards have lower fees, but they’re more difficult to get when you have bad credit. If you’re unsure of whether you’ll be approved for an unsecured card, then apply for a secured card. This typically requires a cash deposit that will be returned as you pay in-full and on-time. A secured card will help build your credit. As your credit improves, you can apply for an unsecured card.

Once you get a credit card, make your payments on time. That is the best way you can continue repairing and building your credit.

Credit Cards That Can Help Improve Your Credit Score

Two possible credit cards that you may to consider include the Credit One Bank Unsecured Platinum Visa and the Discover it Secured Card. For more options, check out Credit.com’s list of cards for bad credit.

The Credit One Bank Unsecured Platinum Visa® is a great option for people trying to rebuild their credit. The website offers a free pre-qualification that won’t affect your credit score. There is no security deposit, and the annual fee is under $99. Plus, you can earn one percent cash back on eligible purchases, and you will have access to free monthly credit-score updates, along with account alerts to help you stay on-track. This card has a 16.99- to 24.99-percent variable APR for purchases and 18.90- to 25.90-percent variable APR for cash advances.

The Discover it Secured Card is a good option if you don’t want a card with an annual fee or aren’t eligible for an unsecured card. With a refundable minimum deposit of $200, you can start earning two percent cash back at restaurants and gas stations up to $1,000 each quarter and one percent cash back on everything else. At the end of your first year with the card, Discover will match all the rewards you earned in that year. You will also receive Social Security alerts to help protect against identity fraud and have access to your FICO credit score for free. While this card has no annual fee, you will be subject to a 23.99-percent variable APR on purchases.

Sitting by the pool listening to the wind as the ship cuts through the water is the essence of cruise travel. To get there, consider getting a Carnival World MasterCard Credit Card by Barclaycard to earn rewards towards your next cruise.